The present disclosure relates generally to a garment and more specifically to a garment having a closure system which allows for ventilation and protection from the elements.
It is common in the garment industry, particularly in garments that are used by motorcycle riders, to have vent openings to cool the body of the rider in hot weather conditions. Consequently, garments and coats with provisions for ventilation have been developed. Examples of such garments are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,715, issued Sep. 2, 1986 to Miller et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,477, issued Apr. 21, 1992 to Golde; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,064, issued Jan. 6, 1998 to van der Slessen, which are all incorporated herein by reference.
The garments, however do not provide protection from wet weather conditions, such as rain or sleet, or an otherwise wet environment because the moisture-resistant feature would require a sacrifice of the ventilation feature. For motorcyclists, the windy conditions or normal high-speed motorcycle use make the inclusion of elaborate external protective rain gear or hot, bulky layers undesirable. To open the front closure of the weather resistant garment to provide the ventilation impacts the overall function of the garment because it will flap in the wind behind the motorcyclist and substantially reduce the protection offered by the garment. Accordingly, there is a need for a streamlined system to allow for protection from wet weather conditions and to allow for maximized ventilation.